


I Won't Let You Sink

by MrSpockify



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Humor, Iron Dad, Peter is a Little Shit, Swim lessons, Tony needs a vacation tbh, spider son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 13:06:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18152246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrSpockify/pseuds/MrSpockify
Summary: Tony can't have his kid almost drowning again, so he takes it upon himself to teach Peter how to swim. It proves a little more difficult than he imagined.





	I Won't Let You Sink

                The warm water seemed to rock gently back and forth, splashing occasionally on his toes. He felt like he could get lost staring into the blue depths, the far recesses calling to him and threatening to swallow him whole. If he stared long enough, hard enough, he was sure it would suck him underneath the surface before he could even realize what was happening. The pull of the—

                “ _Parker_!”

                Peter yelped, his mentor startling him out of his thoughts. He took a few steps backward, away from the edge of the pool. Tony walked over to join him, looking exasperated.

                “Get out of your head, kid,” he ordered, fist knocking gently on Peter’s forehead. “Focus up, come on.” Peter followed him over to the stairs at one end of the massive pool.

                “It’s a really big pool, Mr. Stark.”

                “Yeah, it’s regulation. Come on,” he gestured to the stairs as he made his own way into the pool.

                “I didn’t even know the compound _had_ a pool.”  

                “It has everything else, of course it has a pool. Come on.” He motioned the boy forward again.

                “Who uses the pool, Mr. St—”

                “ _Kid_ ,” Tony nearly yelled. He took a deep breath, as if to calm himself down. “Will you— _please_ —come in the pool now.” The look on his face told Peter he was done with the stalling. Carefully, he stepped down onto the first step, holding onto the cold rail for dear life. Uncertainly, he descended onto the next step. The feeling of water lapping onto his shins made him shiver.

                “Mr. Stark, shouldn’t I have a life vest or something? You know, the other day I saw a cool pair of Spider-Man themed water wings, maybe…” He trailed off when he saw the stern look on Tony’s face. Peter gulped and stared nervously at the next step.

                Suddenly his mentor surged forward and grabbed his arm, tugging him into the water. Peter panicked, thrashing around until he found the surface of the water. Gasping for air, he waved his arms and legs around wildly, unsure of how to keep himself afloat.

                Tony grabbed him by the shoulders and straightened him out. “Just stand up, Pete. It’s only three feet.”

                “Oh.” Peter bounced a little on his toes, getting used to the buoyancy. He could feel the water dragging his body back and forth slightly, and it made him uneasy.

                “Ok, now that we’re finally in the water,” Tony shot him another look, “we can start learning to swim. I’m not going to have a drowning spider on my hands anymore, got it?”

                “You know, Mr. Stark, you could just built some flotation devices in my suit.” Peter smiled innocently, but it didn’t seem to work like it usually did. There really wasn’t going to be any way out of this, it seemed.

                “Now what kind of lesson would that teach you, huh?” Even though he waved his hand in dismissal, Peter could tell his mentor was making a mental note to look into the idea.

                Tony made his way over to stand beside Peter, and Peter tensed, leaning away slightly.

                “Relax, kid, I’m not going to pull you under. At least not until you know how to get back up again.” Tony chuckled, but it faltered when his audience was clearly not amused. “We’re going to start off with learning to float. I need you to tilt back and let your legs lift up. I’ll hold you up.” He pressed a hand on the small of Peter’s back, but the kid didn’t move.

                “What if I don’t float? What if I just sink to the bottom like a rock?” Peter looked at him with wide eyes, and Tony sighed.

                “I know you’re nervous, Pete. You haven’t exactly had the best experience in water. You need to know how to swim, though. You never know when you’ll find yourself in a situation like that again, and maybe I won’t be there next time to save you.” Tony opened his mouth to continue, but the words caught in his throat. He sighed again. “Kiddo, I _need_ you to learn how to swim. Please.” Time to pull out the big guns. “For me?”

                Peter groaned and looked away, but Tony knew he had him, hook, line, and sinker… Maybe not the best metaphor at a time like this, he thought.

                “ _Fine_ ,” Peter spat, his affection only thinly veiled by his fake annoyance. With only a moment of hesitation, he started to lean back in order to float, waiting for Tony’s hands to come up to his back again.

                “Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Tony assured, holding the kid in place. He was stiff as a board, but at least he had his feet off the ground. “Now just relax your body. See? No sinking to the bottom.” He gradually let his hands fall from their place, and he smiled as Peter started floating in front of him.

                “You’re doing it! Who else can say Iron Man taught them how to swim, huh? You get to learn from your own personal hero, how cool is that?” He grinned smugly and crossed his arms.

                “I don’t know, Mr. Stark, I think I’m starting to reevaluate who my favorite Avenger is after this,” Peter deadpanned.

                With a frown, and the most petty emotions coursing through his veins, Tony reached over with one hand and pushed the kid under.


End file.
